Snake in the Grass
by Stixer111
Summary: Merlin might have been conscripted into being Arthur's tutor, but the last time he checked that didn't involve being his sparring partner. When a strange new threat reveals itself at Camelot's regional boxing tournament, Arthur's life may be in danger again, and it's up to Merlin, as usual, to stop it. Part 2 of Camelot Med.
1. Val and the Snakes

_**A/N- Well this is it, the much awaited sequel to Volunteers and Destiny! Sorry for the wait, we've all been crazy busy. College is starting soon, so updates probably won't be regular, I emwill/em try though, I promise. Anyway, let's see if I can still do this.**_ _**As before, Beta'd by 213serendipity (tumblr) and britpicked by desuke-dragonqueen (also tumblr).**_

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Chapter 1: Val and the Snakes

This particular house gave Val the shivers, though he'd deny it if you asked him. There was just something about the place, dingy grey walls and dusty shutters over the windows, always kept shut so only the tiniest slivers of sunlight crept into the rooms. The worst part though, in Val's opinion, were the snakes. They were everywhere, hissing and slithering, twisting over one another, just barely visible in the dim light. Most of them were in tanks, but some of the bigger ones were allowed to roam free, a fact that made Val check his every step in a paranoid manner. Their owner assured him that his babies were harmless though, for the most part. That was the reason Val was here. He was willing to brave the creepy house because the owner had what he needed.

It was stupid of course; rumors of magic had been circulating various towns after a particular incident with a would-be assassin in the next city town over. He had of course done some research, and google had shown him some pretty compelling evidence. So he figured, maybe magic could help him out, and had somehow, through a lot of shady digging and word of mouth, found out about this house and the man inside.

He squared his shoulders and rapped on the door. He could hear shuffling and he could swear something slithered. The door opened a crack, and one red, watery eye peered out, before the door shut again with a slam. There was the sound of a chain lock being pulled back, and the door opened fully, revealing a seedy man in his late twenties.

His hair was messy, his clothes looked like they hadn't seen a washing machine in weeks, and the flared hood of a tattooed cobra peaked over his collar. He smelled faintly of weed and mouse droppings.

"Devlin," muttered Val, trying to pretend that the man didn't make him want to retch.

"Val... come in. Mind the python."

Val stepped carefully over the threshold, and decided to ignore whatever had brushed his leg, the sooner he could get what he came for, the sooner he could leave.

"I understand you got the goods."

"I understand you got the payment."

Val sighed, and pulled a bag of marijuana out of his pocket and held it out to Devlin. Val hoped that whatever Devlin had gotten him would be worth it. Devlin grinned and took it from his hands, before leading him further into the house, to a work room. A pair of boxing gloves lay on the worktop, with a viper painted on the inside curve of each glove.

"These don't look like much," said Val with a suspicious glare.

Devlin smirked.

"If you're really as good as you say, then these gloves will guarantee your win."

"Show me how it works."

" _Tharanai im bis entra ofra honra stolle_ "

Val stifled a gasp, even as he jumped backwards. The vipers on the gloves had come alive. So this was magic then? He could get used to it. A slow grin spread across his face.

"They're a special kind, their venom will paralyze your opponent long enough for you to KO them. And." Devlin pushed the gloves towards Val. "They're now under your command."

"They'll do anything I say?"

"Yup."

Val began to laugh, and after a few seconds of confusion, Devlin joined in. Then Val stopped abruptly.

"Kill him" He hissed at the vipers

They struck at Devlin in rapid succession, until the man fell to the floor. Val compelled the vipers to shrink back into their un-animated form, stepped over the body, and walked out of the house. He got into his car, placing his new gloves carefully on the passenger seat, and buckled up. There was a boxing tournament in the neighboring town, and he had every intention of joining.

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 _ **A/N- So a strong start? Let me know what you think!**_


	2. Several Life Choices Are Questioned

_**A/N- I'd like to dedicate this chapter to one line in the copy of the episode one script that was circulating the internet. You know, the "ripped like fifty cent" line. As usual a great big thanks to my beta, 213serendipity, and my britpicker, desuke-dragonqueen!**_

Chapter 2: Several Life Choices are Questioned

The boxing gloves on Merlin's hands were clumsy, awkward, and restricting, making his hands feel clunky as they forced his fingers to curl. Arthur, who was standing across from him, looked much more at ease as he held up his hands and gave the air a few practice jabs, trying to get his footwork down.

The boys were in Arthur's yard, standing within the chalk boundaries of a spacious ring that someone had drawn in the grass. Merlin would honestly rather be anywhere else at that moment. He was a maths prodigy, not an athlete; something he'd told Arthur several times, even as he laced up the spare gloves the blond had thrown at him. Arthur had just smirked at him, and told him that at the very least he could learn to defend himself properly, and Merlin had no rebuttal for that argument, since he couldn't very well say that he could set any potential attackers on fire with just a thought. Well, theoretically anyway. His aim still wasn't perfect, and at the moment he was more likely to set himself on fire than anyone else, but that was beside the point.

The one upside to this whole miserable exercise was that it was an unusually warm day, and as a result, Arthur had taken off his shirt, and Merlin could stare at that glorious six pack whenever he wished. He himself had chosen to keep his shirt on, partially because Arthur made him incredibly self-conscious and partially because Merlin was built like a rake, and if Arthur was going to be taking swings at him, he needed all the extra protection he could get.

Arthur seemed to finish whatever warm up he was doing and turned to Merlin.

"Ready?"

"Not even a little."

"Too bad. Now block."

The statement was followed by a rapid swing towards his left side, and Merlin yelped as he brought his hands into position and just barely managed to block the fist. It hurt. Even through the gloves, he could feel the power behind the action. Arthur certainly wasn't pulling any punches.

That prick.

"Face! Side! Stomach! Face!" called Arthur, following each exclamation with a punch towards mentioned body part. Merlin scrambled to block the swings, and was mostly successful.

"You know I was hired to tutor you, not to be your personal punching bag, right?"

Arthur grunted and made to punch Merlin's stomach causing him to jump out of the way.

"Speaking of punching bags; don't most people use those to practice? You know, instead of breakable tutors?"

"Bags don't hit back."

"Neither do I!"

"Not yet anyway. Face!"

Merlin's block wasn't nearly as successful this time around, and he found himself sprawled on the ground; a smirking Arthur standing over him, blocking out the sun.

"Are we done yet?"

Arthur positively grinned. "Not in the least."

Merlin groaned. "This was so much easier on the wii."

Merlin texted Lance on the bus ride home, looking for someone to complain to. When he finally reached his house, he found Lance waiting in the living room with a sympathetic smile and a party sized bag of potato crisps.

"I put the key back under the mat. How are you feeling?"

Merlin just groaned.

"That bad?"

"I think my bruises have bruises," he said, making his way into the kitchen to find an ice pack.

"Gaius will probably call. He called the house phone a little while ago."

"Gaius knows how to use a mobile?"

"It was a shock to me, too."

Merlin snorted, flopping on to the sofa next to Lance, and making grabby hands at the bag of chips crisps. Lance handed it over, picked up the remote, and started to flip through the channels. He finally stopped on Animal Planet, where they were showing something about puppies. Merlin gave him a look, and Lance shrugged.

"Puppies are relaxing."

Merlin shook his head and laughed a bit, scooting a bit closer so that Lance could take his share of the crisps. The two were pretending not to gush over a litter of Labrador pups when the phone rang. Merlin pressed the speaker button, and raised his voice slightly, too lazy to move from his comfortable position.

"Hello?"

"Merlin? This is Gaius."

"Oh hello!"

"'Hi Gaius," called Lance, eyes still fixed on the TV. Merlin elbowed him in the side.

"Ah, I see Lance is still with you. He answered when I called earlier."

"Yeah, er, he told me."

"So I called to ask how your first week of tutoring Arthur went."

Merlin made a noise of disgust. "It was miserable. He's got a boxing tournament coming up and drafted me into being his practice dummy!"

Merlin could almost hear Gaius raising his eyebrow, and sighed. "I'll be happy when this stupid thing is over."

"I'm sure you'll be fine Merlin." Gaius paused for a moment. "Is that… barking?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, it's just the telly. Hold on. Onhríne achtung bregdan." The remote zoomed into his hands and he muted the show. Lance gave him a look, though Merlin wasn't sure if it was because of his blatant use of magic when he really should be keeping it a secret, or because he interrupted the show. Gaius' reaction was much clearer.

"Merlin, did you just use magic?" His voice had dropped to a whisper.

"If I could move right now, I would have picked the remote up myself."

Gaius sighed "Be careful, my boy. Your position was perilous to begin with, and it's gotten much more perilous now that you've entered the lion's den, so to speak. One wrong move, and Uther will come for you with a vengeance."

Merlin sighed. "I understand, Gaius."

"Just… be careful, alright?"

"Alright."

"Good. I must go now. I just wanted to check in. Your mother wants me to tell you that Lance is welcome to stay for dinner."

"Thank you, Gaius."

"Goodbye Merlin. And for god's sake, be careful." He hung up with a click.

Merlin sighed, unmuted the television, and turned back to Lance to hand the device to him. His friend was giving him a look he was very familiar with. Merlin made an exasperated noise.

"What now?"

"He's right you know."

"Not this again!"

"Merlin, I'm serious! Before, we were just worried you'd be taken away and experimented on or something, but Uther will kill you. You have to be more careful. What will Hunith do if you go and get yourself killed? You're all she has left!" He gave Merlin a rueful smile. "And what about me, huh? What would I do without my best friend?"

The boys stared at each other for moment, deadly serious. Finally, Merlin broke eye contact.

"You can be a real arse sometimes, you know?"

"It's a gift."

Merlin snorted. "How is this fair? I saved Arthur's life, and now I have to tutor him?"

"Hey, you never know, it might be fun!"

Merlin gave him a flat look.

"You can stare at his ass whenever you feel like it?"

"Hmm… almost makes it worth it. Almost," he said, making Lance laugh. Merlin gave a small smile, but it quickly turned into a frown.

"I really hate this stupid tournament though," he groused. "I know nothing about boxing, and Arthur's put me down as his 'helper'. Since when does tutor translate to servant?"

Lance gave him a sympathetic pat. "Well, the tournament is sponsored by the hospital, so most of us will be there for support. And you could ask Gwen for help learning about the sport. She helps out at Elyan's tournaments sometimes, so she'll know what to do."

"Speaking of Gwen…"

"Oh no, we're not talking about this! Shut up and watch the puppies."

"I'm just saying. She's really sweet, and pretty, and I've seen the way you look at her."

"LOOK AT THAT BLACK AND WHITE ONE, ISN'T IT CUTE!"

Merlin laughed and turned back to the television in time to see the puppy in question step on its own floppy ears and tumble forward.

"Reminds me of someone I know," Lance smirked. "Can't think who, though."

Merlin's eyes flashed gold and a cushion smacked Lance in the face. He retaliated with a well-aimed cushion of his own, and all thoughts of the upcoming competition were forgotten as an all-out pillow war broke out. Even Hunith, making the both of them clean the living room - without magic - when she got back, couldn't put a damper on Merlin's spirits.

 _ **A/N- Reviews would make me super happy, so pretty please! Also friendly reminder that this story goes through three people in three different parts of the world before it gets uploaded, so please be patient if I don't update right away!**_


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